ALBANY - New York received more than 3,000 applications for free SUNY and CUNY tuition by mid-afternoon Wednesday, the opening day of a six-week application period.

The state Higher Education Services Corp. began accepting applications Wednesday for the Excelsior Scholarship program, which will wipe out tuition at the state's public colleges and universities for income-eligible students.

The Excelsior Scholarship, which was approved in the state's $153 billion budget in April, is a "last dollar" program, which means it covers tuition costs for eligible students after other forms of state and federal aid have been exhausted. It applies to both two- and four-year public schools.

The first day of the application period proved popular.

By 2:30 p.m., about 3,200 people had applied, though it wasn't immediately clear how many applicants were eligible, according to Robert Mujica, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget director.

"It takes about 15 or 20 minutes to complete (the application), and students will be asked for a copy of their 2015 New York state income-tax return filed by the student or by their parent or spouse, as applicable," Mujica said Wednesday.

The state is promoting the program through a television advertisement that began airing across New York this week.

The ad was paid for by Empire State Development, the state's economic-development branch, which has a budget of $50 million a year for marketing and advertising to promote the state's efforts to boost the economy.

Jason Conwall, a spokesman for Empire State Development, said the ads fall under that umbrella.

"We want business leaders to see the state’s commitment to workforce development and we want New York's students to take advantage of the free tuition program -- and then get jobs at New York companies," he said in a statement.

The ads are not airing outside New York state, according to ESD.

The Excelsior Scholarship program is open to full-time students seeking a bachelor's or associate's degree for the first time.

There are strict income requirements: The student or their parents must make less than $100,000 to be eligible for the 2017-18 school year. That limit gradually increases to $125,000 by the 2019-20 academic year.

Those who get the scholarship have to commit to living and working in the state for an equal number of years they received the assistance. Otherwise, it converts to a loan and must be repaid -- unless they get a waiver from the state for certain hardships.

To be eligible for the program, a prospective student must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and have been a New York resident for the 12 months prior to applying.

Applicants must fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and have their 2015 tax returns at the ready while applying, as well as any previous college transcripts they may have.